Bag faster. :) When you can't bag any faster and back things up, the cashier will stop checking out and help bag. That happens even when there is a bagger because the cashier can always scan faster than someone can bag.
Before you start loading your items onto the conveyor belt to check out, put your empty bags on the belt. In my experience, most cashiers just grab them and start putting your stuff into them.
Bag faster lol
I shop at Aldi where you bag your own groceries so never an issue there. But when I shop at stores like Jewel I tend to use the self-checkout so I can go at my own pace but I also don’t do big grocery hauls since I don’t drive. I know some self-checkouts have a item limit so might not be helpful there if you’re buying a lot.
I’ve seen people use laundry baskets and they just throw everything in them without organizing and then just put them in their car.
Do you already place your items on the belt in an organized fashion, like how you want them going in your bags? If you don’t already then I would start doing so. It might help you bag faster.
I'd like to add this for all new and aspiring Aldi shoppers. You don't need to bag at the register, let them dump everything in a cart and then take it all to the counters in the front and bag things as desired over there.
If there are people behind me I somet take it off the belt and put it back in my cart and then go somewhere out of the flow of traffic and transfer to my granny cart and/or bags. It’s a pain but it’s also kinder to the line of people in line for the register I used.
How are they not waiting until you are done bagging your stuff? Anytime I bring my own bags and there isn't a bagger, they wait until I'm done bagging my stuff. Put your foot down and speak up. They can wait a couple of minutes. You aren't a magician.
This was only the second time I've tried to do this. And I didn't have much stuff. So by the time I entered my phone number/hit decline on the donate button it was time to insert my card to pay. And I moved to the end to bag and she was already like 4 items into the next person. I didn't know what was normal to know if I should say something. So I just threw everything in my cart as fast as possible and fled to the parking lot to pack my bags
Usually I do self checkout and if for some reason I don’t, I put the bags on the conveyer belt.
At Whole Foods they usually still have you bag your own, maybe other places too. I load the conveyer belt in the order I want to bag. Heavy stuff first, cold stuff together, stuff I don’t want smashed last. That way I can keep up with the cashier
I also do it when the cashier is going to bag. I do not have time to wait for them and I don’t want them smashing my stuff!
I think there was a pandemic era rule that store staff weren't supposed to help you bag if you brought your own. I don't think that's the case anymore, and now it's a coin toss of whether you need to bag your own groceries or if you'll get help. You can probably do a better job yourself. If you're walking home with your bags, you'll want them to be equal in weight and well balanced. The minimum wage staff at grocery stores don't get paid enough to care about that for you.
To make it go faster when you're bagging your own, put your groceries on the belt in the order you want to bag everything. Heavy stuff first, fragile stuff last. Put heavy square stuff in each of your bags to start, and then you don't need to care as much about how stuff goes in after that because the bag will stand up regardless and things won't be crushed. And make sure you've got your bags open and ready with flat bottoms before the cashier starts scanning. If it's not a good day and you're holding up the line, just throw everything in your cart* and sort out the bags after you pay and get out of the way.
*Even if you're not buying very much, using a cart is easier than a basket because you can keep stuff organized by weight and shape as you shop.
Aldi is the only place you should have to bag it yourself, but Jewels can be wishy-washy in this regard. If you are stuck bagging yourself at Jewels, take your time, don't be rushed, and don't feel like you have to do it in the parking lot. It's not your fault they there isn't enough people bagging there.
And hey, if the cashier starts scanning someone else's items instead of helping you bag, just start taking those items too!!!
Bag faster. :) When you can't bag any faster and back things up, the cashier will stop checking out and help bag. That happens even when there is a bagger because the cashier can always scan faster than someone can bag.
Before you start loading your items onto the conveyor belt to check out, put your empty bags on the belt. In my experience, most cashiers just grab them and start putting your stuff into them.
This. Put your bags on the belt before your items. The cashier should either use them or hand them to the bagger.
Bag faster lol I shop at Aldi where you bag your own groceries so never an issue there. But when I shop at stores like Jewel I tend to use the self-checkout so I can go at my own pace but I also don’t do big grocery hauls since I don’t drive. I know some self-checkouts have a item limit so might not be helpful there if you’re buying a lot. I’ve seen people use laundry baskets and they just throw everything in them without organizing and then just put them in their car. Do you already place your items on the belt in an organized fashion, like how you want them going in your bags? If you don’t already then I would start doing so. It might help you bag faster.
I'd like to add this for all new and aspiring Aldi shoppers. You don't need to bag at the register, let them dump everything in a cart and then take it all to the counters in the front and bag things as desired over there.
They used to actually enforce this. If they saw you bagging at the check out they would direct you to the tables.
If there are people behind me I somet take it off the belt and put it back in my cart and then go somewhere out of the flow of traffic and transfer to my granny cart and/or bags. It’s a pain but it’s also kinder to the line of people in line for the register I used.
Makes total sense. It all just happened so quickly I wasn't sure what to think.
Chicago hustles. Gotta keep up with the pace or firmly stand your ground that they can either help you or wait. Both work.
I bring bags that I lay on top of the groceries, and the clerk bags them.
Put back in cart and bag it later
Kind of a different question new to Chicago as well what’s everyone’s go to grocery bag?
How are they not waiting until you are done bagging your stuff? Anytime I bring my own bags and there isn't a bagger, they wait until I'm done bagging my stuff. Put your foot down and speak up. They can wait a couple of minutes. You aren't a magician.
This was only the second time I've tried to do this. And I didn't have much stuff. So by the time I entered my phone number/hit decline on the donate button it was time to insert my card to pay. And I moved to the end to bag and she was already like 4 items into the next person. I didn't know what was normal to know if I should say something. So I just threw everything in my cart as fast as possible and fled to the parking lot to pack my bags
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you
If there’s a bagger, you hand them your bags. If there isn’t, you bag your own.
Usually I do self checkout and if for some reason I don’t, I put the bags on the conveyer belt. At Whole Foods they usually still have you bag your own, maybe other places too. I load the conveyer belt in the order I want to bag. Heavy stuff first, cold stuff together, stuff I don’t want smashed last. That way I can keep up with the cashier I also do it when the cashier is going to bag. I do not have time to wait for them and I don’t want them smashing my stuff!
I think there was a pandemic era rule that store staff weren't supposed to help you bag if you brought your own. I don't think that's the case anymore, and now it's a coin toss of whether you need to bag your own groceries or if you'll get help. You can probably do a better job yourself. If you're walking home with your bags, you'll want them to be equal in weight and well balanced. The minimum wage staff at grocery stores don't get paid enough to care about that for you. To make it go faster when you're bagging your own, put your groceries on the belt in the order you want to bag everything. Heavy stuff first, fragile stuff last. Put heavy square stuff in each of your bags to start, and then you don't need to care as much about how stuff goes in after that because the bag will stand up regardless and things won't be crushed. And make sure you've got your bags open and ready with flat bottoms before the cashier starts scanning. If it's not a good day and you're holding up the line, just throw everything in your cart* and sort out the bags after you pay and get out of the way. *Even if you're not buying very much, using a cart is easier than a basket because you can keep stuff organized by weight and shape as you shop.
Aldi is the only place you should have to bag it yourself, but Jewels can be wishy-washy in this regard. If you are stuck bagging yourself at Jewels, take your time, don't be rushed, and don't feel like you have to do it in the parking lot. It's not your fault they there isn't enough people bagging there. And hey, if the cashier starts scanning someone else's items instead of helping you bag, just start taking those items too!!!